Access Wealth Strategies

There has been much hype about buying foreclosed properties in mainstream media and on the internet. You may be wondering:

What is it really like bidding at the foreclosure auction? Are there good deals to be had? What does it take to get a good deal?

Last week I interviewed John Ray, owner of a foreclosure auction bidding service firm located in Phoenix, AZ. John has been in real estate for 20 years and is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to bidding on foreclosed properties at the trustee sale auction.

John’s company BidAZForeclosures.com has been bidding at Maricopa county foreclosure auctions on behalf of investors for 7 years, currently buys about 100 properties a month, and is one of the largest bidding groups.

This interview lasted over 30 minutes; it has been captured on video and edited into 4 parts. It is well worth your time to watch all 4 parts because you’ll learn John’s insider perspective on getting a good deal at the foreclosure auction and how to avoid common mistakes investors make.

Topics Covered in Part 1 of This Interview

• Are there good deals at auction?
• How many properties are bought at the auction?

Overview of the foreclosure auction process:

• How do properties end up at foreclosure auction?
• Why do some foreclosures get postponed?
• How does the bank establish the opening bid?
• What is a “total debt” bid vs. a “specified” bid?
• What really happens at the trustee sale?
• What happens after you win a bid?
• How do you get title to the property?
• How do you take posession of the property?

Topics Covered in Part 2 of This Interview

• How does the current market cycle compare to the previous one?
• What’s happening with bank REO properties?
• Why aren’t banks doing more short sales?
• How do you buy properties at auction?
• Why do investors use your bidding service?
• How risky is it?
• What are some common mistakes?
• What due diligence do you do before bidding on a property?
• What happens when you make a mistake?

Topics Covered in Part 3 of This Interview

• Is there any truth to the “old boys network” that controls the auction?
• What is it like bidding at the auction (examples)?
• What is blind bidding?
• What are dropped bids vs. jumped bids?
• Where do you get the property listing info?
• How are you different from other bidding groups (examples)?

Topics Covered in Part 4 (Final Part) of This Interview

• How do new investors get started?
• What is the Jump Start program and how does it work?
• What are some common beginner mistakes and how do you avoid them?
• Do you really have to pay all cash at the auction?  Are there other options?
• What is “hard money” and why do people use it (examples)?
• How does an investor work with a bidding service like yours?
• How do we contact you for more information?

Please let us know what you think of the interview, whether you love it or hate it, by leaving a comment. If you enjoyed this interview, please rate the videos on YouTube as well.  Thank you in advance for your feedback!

If you’d like to see a video of live bidding at the Phoenix (Maricopa County) trustee sale auction, see my prior post:
Phoenix Foreclosure – Video of Live Auction at Trustee Sale

Watch the video below for my second visit to this upscale Desert Ridge home, as I tour the house and point out the changes made.

After Renovations

Before Renovations

For your reference, the “before” video (just 2 days after the home was purchased at the Phoenix trustee sale auction) below:

Ask yourself this question:

Would YOU buy this home for approximately half of its peak price at the trustee sale?

Related post: Real Estate Investors Turning to Trustee Sales for Bargain Purchases

Jim the Realtor posted recently that over 700 homes in San Diego sold at trustee’s sale auction during the past 12 weeks to a party other than the beneficiary (lender).

The “flipper ratio” (ratio of homes sold to 3rd parties / total number of homes sold at auction) was over 20%.  This is historically very high.

Read the story and review the data in Jim’s blog: 700+ Flippers

Listen below for a brief background on the trustee sale process.

Why are all those homes sold to investors instead of going back to the bank?  I think this indicates that the pricing is finally low enough for investors (who are paying all cash) to buy a house and either flip it to a home buyer for a quick gain, or turn it into rental property (some lower-priced homes might even cash flow positively) to hold for a longer-term gain.

What do you think? Please add your comment and let me know.